Cristin Tarr
Featured Teacher
Cristin Cornell Tarr, a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Marketing, is dedicated to creating an engaging and real-world learning environment for her students. As a faculty advisor for the Marketing Club, she focuses on bridging academic learning with industry experience, ensuring students are prepared for the workforce through hands-on, experiential learning.
Defining Engagement
Cristin defines student engagement as a collaborative, two-way exchange where students actively participate in their learning process. “We only have 10-12 hours with our students, so we need to make every minute impactful,” she explains. Engagement, for Cristin, goes beyond delivering content; it’s about fostering critical thinking and real-world connections. She stresses the importance of student feedback and involvement in the learning process, which helps connect classroom concepts to career-ready skills.
Challenges Faced
Early in her teaching career, Cristin struggled with traditional lecture formats, noticing that students’ attention waned during longer sessions. She adapted by flipping the classroom: providing asynchronous content ahead of class and dedicating in-class time to interactive activities. “I found a sweet spot with 50% lecture and 50% hands-on application,” she says. This approach allowed for deeper engagement and real-time application of concepts.
Strategies for Engagement
Cristin employs several strategies to keep students engaged:
- Active Learning: Each class includes interactive elements, such as case studies, simulations or projects that directly apply course concepts. “I aim for a balance between lecture and practical application,” she notes, especially in her Digital Marketing course.
- Curiosity-Driven Curriculum: She designs her courses around students’ natural curiosity, using multimedia like videos and podcasts to support diverse learning styles.
- Real-World Application: Cristin brings in guest speakers and live clients, helping students see the complexities of the business world and understand the real-time challenges they’ll face in their careers.
Reflective Practice
Cristin continually reflects on her teaching methods, recognizing that business concepts can be complex and interconnected. She adjusts her approach to simplify content, focusing on one topic at a time. “Live delivery of key concepts is crucial for student understanding,” she says.
Looking Ahead
Cristin advocates for more experiential learning opportunities, such as internships and consulting projects, to connect classroom learning with industry needs. “Experiential learning should be embedded throughout the entire student journey, not just as isolated events,” she adds.
Cristin’s approach to student engagement fosters critical thinking and prepares students to meet the demands of the evolving business world.